LPCDreissues: Looking forward to the past

• Edition: Fully licensed vinyl reissue, limited to 500 copies

Originally issued in 1971, Chillum was the sole album released under this name by musicians closely connected to the British psychedelic and progressive group Second Hand. Ken Elliott, Kieran O’Connor and George Hart continued from the earlier band, joined here by guitarist Tony McGill for a freer and more improvisational project.

The sessions had initially been intended to produce a third Second Hand album. Instead, the musicians adopted the new name Chillum and allowed the material to develop through extended ensemble playing rather than tightly structured songwriting. The resulting record occupies a raw space between psychedelic rock, heavy progressive music, jazz improvisation and spontaneous studio experimentation.

The first side is devoted entirely to “Brain Strain,” an expansive performance driven by Ken Elliott’s Hammond organ and Mellotron, McGill’s distorted guitar and Kieran O’Connor’s relentless drumming. Rather than following a conventional song structure, the piece moves through abrupt rhythmic changes, organ eruptions, guitar improvisations and moments of near-chaotic interaction.

The second side presents four shorter but equally unpredictable pieces. “Land of Thousand Dreams” acts as a brief atmospheric transition before the heavy, rhythmically unstable “Too Many Bananas.” The extended “Yes! We Have No Pajamas” combines pounding percussion, distorted keyboards and loose instrumental exchanges, while “Promenade des Anglaises” closes the album with a compact and unexpectedly melodic passage.

Recorded with an intentionally unrestrained approach, Chillum captures the musicians at their most spontaneous and experimental. Its roaring organ, forceful percussion and unpolished ensemble sound have made it a cult favourite among collectors of adventurous early-1970s British progressive rock. This fully licensed Bonfire Records edition is limited to 500 vinyl copies.

Track listing:

Side A
A1. Brain Strain – 21:46

Side B
B1. Land of Thousand Dreams – 1:18
B2. Too Many Bananas – 4:11
B3. Yes! We Have No Pajamas – 10:33
B4. Promenade des Anglaises – 1:54